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Government gives green light to offshore wind farm

One of the world’s largest offshore wind farms has been given the green light by the UK government.

Published on Jun 17, 2014

One of the world's largest offshore wind farms has been given the green light by the UK government.

The Development of the East Anglia wind farm, off the coast of Suffolk, will involve the installation of up to 240 turbines. Once this is build it will generate enough electricity to power 820,000 homes.

The scheme is expected to introduce almost 2,900 jobs during construction and operations whilst bringing more than £520 million of investment into the UK economy. The department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said

"Some 1,800 jobs could be supported locally and generate half a billion pounds for the East Anglian economy... including £10m a year once it is completed."Energy and climate change secretary, Ed Davey, said:"East Anglia and the rest of the UK have a lot to gain from this development...The project has the potential to inject millions of pounds into the local and national economies, and support thousands of green jobs. Making the most of Britain's home grown energy is crucial in creating job and business opportunities, getting the best deal for customers and reducing our reliance on foreign imports."

The scheme is set to install a maximum of 240 wind turbine making it significantly larger than the London Array, off the Kent coast, which is the current largest offshore wind farm in the world.

Andrew Pendleton, friends of the Earths head of campaign, explains that; "This is fantastic news for energy security, jobs and the battle to tackle climate change. Ending our reliance on dirty fossil fuels by plugging into our abundant renewable power in absolutely vital for our future."

Although "it is a shame however that the government continues to speak with a forked tongue on renewable. Simultaneously supporting and undermining the growing renewable industry, and having a meek ambition even for offshore wind, is no way to secure a clean supply of energy for the future."

Ben Stafford, head of public affairs at WWF-UK, said: "Today's decision is a strong vote of confidence for the UK's offshore wind sector""Climate change is the biggest threat facing our oceans and seas globally and is already impacting on the UK's rich marine environment. It's therefore vital that we find ways to harness the clean energy that marine renewable, such as offshore wind, can provide."

"Projects at this scale will also help to reduce costs, boost jobs and investment and help to keep the lights on."